Texas Author Rikki Jo Neyer Releases Memoir on Mother's Catatonia Recovery

MAGNOLIA, TX – Rikki Jo Neyer, a Texas resident and first-time author, has released her debut book, Do You Believe in Miracles? Our Journey Out of Darkness and Into the Light, through Lucid Books, an independent hybrid publisher based in the Houston area. The memoir details her mother's eight-and-a-half-year battle with an unnamed illness that left her catatonic and the family's relentless search for answers, culminating in a recovery that Neyer attributes to medical treatment and faith.

The book arrives at a time when caregivers and families grappling with unexplained medical conditions often feel isolated and unheard. Neyer's story provides a raw, unfiltered account of the emotional and logistical toll of caregiving, from navigating a fragmented medical system to confronting the possibility of losing a loved one without ever knowing why. "I did not set out to become an author," Neyer says. "I set out to survive a season that felt impossible. For eight and a half years I watched my mother disappear into an illness no doctor could name, and I realized that if I did not write it down, the world might never know what she went through."

For Texas businesses and organizations focused on healthcare, caregiving, and mental health, Neyer's account underscores the critical need for better diagnostic protocols and support systems. Catatonia, a neuropsychiatric syndrome often marked by unresponsiveness and immobility, can be misdiagnosed or overlooked, particularly when it co-occurs with other conditions. Neyer's mother eventually received Ativan, a benzodiazepine, which led to her awakening from the catatonic state. "I did die. And God brought me back," her mother later said, a statement that became central to the family's understanding.

The book distinguishes itself from traditional inspirational memoirs by refusing to sanitize the years of suffering. "Most miracle stories begin with the miracle and work backward," Neyer explains. "This one makes you live through every year of the darkness before you get there." That approach, she believes, is essential for readers who are currently in their own dark seasons. "The reader who is sitting in their own dark room right now does not need a polished version of suffering," she says. "They need the truth."

In addition to the narrative, Do You Believe in Miracles? includes four interviews with key witnesses, a scientific summary of catatonia, Scripture, and appendices written specifically for caregivers, people struggling to keep going, and those supporting loved ones. These resources give the book practical value beyond its inspirational message, making it a potential tool for healthcare professionals, support groups, and faith communities across Texas.

Neyer's experience as her mother's primary advocate lends particular weight to the caregiver-focused material. She hopes the book will help others facing similar challenges. "I hope caregivers feel seen in a way that nothing else has made them feel seen," she says. "I hope anyone who has ever loved someone through a darkness that has no name finds language for what they have been carrying." She also encourages readers to persist when they encounter medical dismissal. "I hope anyone sitting with a misdiagnosis or fighting to be believed by a medical system that keeps looking away finds courage in these pages to keep asking questions," she adds.

The book is published by Lucid Books, which operates as a partnership publisher, offering traditional publishing expertise with self-publishing involvement. For Texas's literary and business landscape, Neyer's story highlights the role of independent publishers in bringing diverse, regionally rooted stories to national audiences. Lucid Books, based in the Houston area, exists to help authors inspire, inform, and enrich readers' lives.

Ultimately, Neyer's memoir is a testament to resilience and the possibility of recovery even after years of darkness. Her mother is alive, participated in the book, and the two are making up for lost time. Neyer describes her journey in three words: "Witness. Endure. Return." Through her story, she offers hope to families navigating medical uncertainty and affirms that miracles, however defined, can still happen.